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Finally, Zach Brockman may no longer have to turn around at Windsor when he rides his bike along the Poudre River trail.

With a $5 million grant to help complete the trail in three years, Brockman could ride all the way to Fort Collins, and maybe make stops at a few breweries on the way.

Officials with the city of Greeley, Larimer County, the city of Fort Collins, the town of Timnath and the town of Windsor were pleased Wednesday to announce that their joint efforts earned the millions of dollars from Colorado’s lottery fund, which will go toward expanding and conserving the trail.

The money will fund construction of 2.5 miles of new trail, two more trail heads, an overpass crossing Interstate 25, and acquisition of 991 acres of river corridor and 1.5 miles of trail easements. After that, only 5 miles of construction will remain in order to connect the Poudre trail from Island Grove Regional Park in north Greeley all the way to Bellvue north of Fort Collins, according to a Great Outdoors Colorado news release.

“It’s great for the community, because it’s going to eventually really help in connecting Greeley to Fort Collins all the way,” said Greeley City Council member Mike Finn, who sits on the Poudre River Trail Board.

Once the 5-mile gap between River Bluffs Open Space and Arapaho Bend Natural Area is closed, Finn said his vision for the trail will be complete with one cohesive corridor.

Eventually, Finn said, it may even bring people from Fort Collins to Greeley, as well.

One of eight river projects funded by Great Outdoors Colorado, the Poudre River Corridor and Regional Trail Initiative will include 967 additional acres of open space in Weld County and 23 acres in Larimer County, according to the release.

Kelly Tussey, 33, said from Rover Run Dog Park on Wednesday that a trail extension is great news.

“The more trails the better,” Tussey said. “The more exercise people can get, the healthier they are, the longer they live.”

Tussey said he tries to ride the trail three to four times per week. Like Brockman, Tussey said he and a buddy have ridden to Windsor before, but Tussey takes a side road to continue on to Fort Collins.